Summary In darkness and in clear weather, the tanker JADE STAR grounded on the south-east shallows of the Presqu'le de Penouille on the north shore of Gasp harbour. The JADE STAR was lightered by her sister ship the DIAMOND STAR and refloated with the assistance of the tug ATLANTIC SPRUCE two days later. There was no apparent damage to the vessel and no pollution. Ce rapport est galement disponible en franais. Other Factual Information The JADE STAR is equipped with all of the regulatory navigating instruments for a ship of her class and size. She is a double-hulled oil and chemical products tanker with the double-hull space serving as ballast tanks when necessary. The master of the JADE STAR had a Master Home Trade certificate of competency and had been acting in the capacity of master on various ships since 1968. He had been master on the JADE STAR or her sister ships, the DIAMOND STAR and the EMERALD STAR, for the past two years. Over the years, he had entered and left Gasp harbour many times without a pilot. The officer of the watch (OOW) had a First Mate Home Trade certificate of competency issued in 1995. He had entered and left Gasp harbour at the con many times within the last few years. At 2336 eastern standard time[2] (EST) on 22 December 1998, the JADE STAR left the port of Qubec with two parcels of gasoline and diesel cargo bound for the Sandy Beach wharf at Gasp, Quebec. Shortly after departure, the receiver/transmitter for the X-band radar (3 cm wavelength) failed. The radars were then inter-switched so that both radar displays, one at each conning position, were using the S-band (10 cm wavelength) receiver/transmitter. The rest of the transit towards the port of Gasp on December 23 and the early morning of December 24 was uneventful. On December 24 at 0400, a routine change of watch occurred. The relieved OOW plotted the ship's position on the chart and passed all relevant information to the relieving OOW. The ship was approximately 7.5 nautical miles from the narrows at the entrance to Gasp harbour, steering on the ranges that are 307.5 true (T), with the engine control at full ahead, and making good a speed of 12 knots. At approximately 0420 the master arrived on the bridge. The OOW retained the con of the vessel, as was the practice on board, and was to con the vessel through the narrows at the entrance to Gasp harbour. At approximately 0427 the OOW instructed the helmsman to revert to hand steering. At or about this time the deck lights were illuminated to assist in preparations on deck for the arrival at Sandy Beach wharf. At this point the vessel was approximately two nautical miles from the narrows at the entrance to Gasp harbour. The OOW was conning the vessel according to the passage plan, steering on the ranges and using a radar distance ahead to track the vessel's progress. On radar he had detected the unlit spar buoy HD-9 ahead and to port, as he expected, but the Sandy Beach Bar was not showing up on the radar. Also, no radar indication was showing for the radar transponder beacon (RACON) located on the rear light of the ranges. At approximately 0437 the OOW had determined, by a radar distance ahead and by a bearing of 270 T clearing the spar buoy HD-9, that the vessel had arrived at the alter-course position, and ordered 10 degrees port wheel. As the helmsman was bringing the wheel over to port, the master, who was sitting at the other conning position and observing the other radar screen, countermanded the order saying it was too early to start the turn. The OOW instructed the helmsman to bring the vessel back onto the ranges. At this point the master expressed his belief that the radar echo ahead at seven cables was a band of ice and not the shoreline of Presqu'le de Penouille. He put the engine at half ahead. The OOW believed spar buoy HD-9 was approximately 700 feet on the port beam and proceeded to the port side of the bridge to try and find it with the aid of the ship's searchlight. At some point during this period, the vessel's global positioning system (GPS) alarm sounded, indicating that the ship had arrived to the planned alter-course position to steer 270 T. At approximately 0440, 50 minutes before high water, the JADE STAR grounded in sand in approximately 5.5 m of water, 1.8 cables south-east of Presqu'le de Penouille, still on the ranges and with the engine at half ahead. At this time the master reversed the pitch to give 100 per cent reverse thrust, but the vessel did not move. After transferring 1,500 tonnes of cargo to the DIAMOND STAR and with the help of the tug ATLANTIC SPRUCE, the JADE STAR was refloated on December 26. There was no apparent damage and no pollution as a result of this occurrence.